Naked Lunch

What are the motifs in Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs?

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The novel presents two key subcultures. One of these is the drug subculture and the other is the homosexual subculture. The two are united early in the novel by the narrator's assumption that he would be punished more harshly for engaging in homosexual activities than he would for selling illegal drugs. Both subcultures are presented, often side by side, as the defining characteristics of a fantasy society in which both acts would be considered commonplace and normal.